More than a game: Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

By Tom McGowan, CNN

Updated 2:40 PM ET, Fri October 5, 2012

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Catalan colors – Barcelona's Nou Camp stadium will be transformed into a giant Catalan flag prior to kick off in Sunday's "El Clasico" match against Real Madrid. A total of 98,000 placards will proudly display bands of red and gold.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Messi vs. Ronaldo – "El Clasico" also brings together the best two players on the planet. Cristiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid, right, has started the season in fine form and scored a hat-trick in Wednesday's European Champions League defeat of Ajax. But it is Barca's Lionel Messi who is revered by many as the finest player in the world. The Argentine has won the FIFA World Player of the Year award in each of the last three seasons.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Mourinho meets Tito – Real coach Jose Mourinho had a fiery confrontation with then Barcelona assistant coach Tito Vilanova in August 2011. Mourinho poked Vilanova in the eye amid a scramble on the touchline of last year's Super Cup encounter. Vilanova has since gone on to replace Josep Guardiola as Barca coach.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Bitterness and bile – The rivalry between Real Madrid and Barca is one of the most intense in football, and players who move between the two clubs are rarely forgiven. When Portugal's Luis Figo returned to the Nou Camp after moving to Real in 2000, fans threw numerous objects in his direction -- including the pig's head pictured here.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Calls for independence – The president of semi-autonomous Catalonia is Artur Mas.He has been accused of using the debt crisis engulfing Spain as a way of garnering more support for the independence movement.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

September 11, 1714 – The Catalan National Day is September 11, commemorating the day in 1714 when the Spain monarchy defeated Catalan troops in the War of the Spain Succession. The day is used to showcase the region's culture and traditions, as well as to campaign for secession from Spain.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Pep rally – Josep Guardiola, right, gave his support to Europe's victorious Ryder Cup campaign in Illinois last weekend. The former Barca coach has also echoed calls for Catalan secession, declaring on the region's national day: "Here's one more vote for independence."

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

A history of conflict – Catalan customs and the region's language were aggressively repressed by general Franco during the Spanish Civil War, which was fought between 1936 and 1939.

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Photos:Austerity gives El Clasico new twist

Austerity measures – The Spanish financial crisis has led to a raft of anti-austerity measures. Protests against cuts have been seen on the streets of Madrid, where a minority of protesters have been involved in violent clashes with the police.

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Story highlights

Barcelona face Real Madrid on Sunday in "El Clasico"

Spain is engulfed by serious financial crisis

Many in Catalonia are calling for the semi-autonomous region to become independent

Anti-austerity measures have led to protests and violent clashes in Madrid

After 17 minutes and 14 seconds of Sunday's "El Clasico" encounter with Real Madrid, Barcelona fans will offer a vocal demonstration of why the club's motto is "mes que un club" -- more than a club.

The team's Nou Camp stadium will erupt with the sound of the Catalan national anthem, sung in the language native to this semi-autonomous region of Spain.

It is to commemorate September 11, 1714, and the people who died when the ruling monarchy defeated Catalan troops during the War of the Spanish Succession.

It is arguably the biggest club game in the world -- though all too often surrounded by a bucketload of bile between players, coaches and fans -- but as austerity tightens its grip on the Spanish economy, the desire for Catalan independence grows ever deeper.

"Also there are the constant political attacks in terms of linguistic policy. For Catalonia the language is very important. Catalan is different from Spanish language, not better or worse, just different.

"The Spanish government is trying to erode the educational system where in Catalonia you study in Catalan but also Spanish ... the government is trying to regain the power in the education system."

So on Sunday in a demonstration of national pride, 98,000 placards will turn the Nou Camp into a giant Catalan flag emblazoned with the word "Barca!" prior to kick off.

"It symbolizes the Catalan sentiment," continued Macia. "It's the color of the Catalan flag. People come to enjoy the football, yes, but also to make clear it is a time to be Catalan."

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The Catalan nationalism cause has a powerful supporter in the shape of iconic former Barca coach Josep Guardiola, who led the team to 14 trophies during a glittering four seasons in charge.

Speaking from New York, where he is currently living, Guardiola delivered a video message of support to his native region on Catalonia's national day, saying: "Here's one more vote for independence."

Despite the views of one of its favorite sons, the football club is less forthright in extolling the virtues of independence, reflecting that not all Barca fans are against a unified Spain.

However, Macia suggests the success of Barcelona's football team and the views of some of the region's other top sport stars has helped promote the idea of self governance.

"I would say there is an increasing union around Barcelona of people who didn't necessarily care about the independence of Catalonia but now understand the reasons through football and the club's other sports teams," added Macia.

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"Sarunas Jasikevicius, a Lithuanian basketball player for Barcelona, said he is open to independence.

"In football, the team is less explicit. Xavi and Carles Puyol, for example are proud to be Catalan but they haven't said openly they would play for Catalonia instead of Spain."

Catalonia even has its own national football team, though it is not allowed to participate in World Cups or European Championships.

The team, which has been playing fixtures since 1912, are permitted to play matches but are barred from participating in competitions which Spain also contests.

Over the years, Catalonia's best players such as Xavi, Guardiola and Puyol have pulled on the red and gold shirt alongside "guest" stars such as Johan Cruyff and Hristo Stoichkov.

But it is Barca, with its core of local players, which has come to represent Catalan footballing honor and so fixtures with Real have a tendency to become ill-tempered.

Red cards and the red mist have become the norm.

In August 2011 Real coach Jose Mourinho poked Tito Vilanova -- Guardiola's then assistant who has gone on to replace him in the hotseat -- in the eye during a touchline fracas.

In 2000 Luis Figo was the subject of Barca fans' ire after moving to Real, and when he returned to the Nou Camp as one of Madrid's fabled "Galacticos", the Portuguese forward was pelted with objects including cigarette lighters, cell phones and a pig's head.

However, rather than breed contempt, familiarity seems to have begun to blunt this rivalry.

Last season the teams played each other on six occasions, after five meetings during the 2010-11 campaign.

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"There have been an awful lot of Clasicos over the last few years, which really has diluted things quite a bit," said Madrid-based Spanish football expert Tim Stannard.

"It's not like it was even 12 months ago, when you had Mourinho and Guardiola really kicking off at each other.

"We had the two SuperCup Clasicos recently and nothing happened then. We actually had two calm and quite exciting games."

And just as in the rest of Spain, the people of Madrid have worries which are more pressing than whether Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi is the world's best footballer as unemployment climbed to nearly 25 percent last month.

Recent protests against anti-austerity measures taken by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government led to violent confrontations between civilians and police on the streets of the capital.

"What we saw was a situation gone bad," continued Stannard. "Some protestors were infiltrated by those looking for a riot. Almost all the time demonstrations here go very peacefully, that's why it made the news.

"There haven't really been any instances since. People are just suffering at the minute."

With Real currently trailing table-toppers Barca by eight points heading into the first league Clasico of the season, the Madrid club's fans haven't had much to cheer either.

Despite that start which has seen Mourinho team drop eight points in its first six matches, Stannard suggests this weekend's match offers Real fans brief respite from a dark financial climate.

"It's a distraction from the grim reality of life for many in Spain at the moment," he said.

"It gives them something to smile about. This Clasico is not a massively hyped one. In recent years we have had Champions League semifinals and all this bitterness built up between the two teams. A lot of that has been taken out of it."

And what do Madrilenos make of calls for Catalan independence? "It's hard to speak for everyone here, Madrid is very diverse," responded Stannard. "A lot of people simply don't care."

Back in Barcelona, Macia suggested Spain's financial woes might have given the campaign for Catalan secession extra impetus.

"The feeling is that it has probably helped to create new converts to the independence movement," he said. "In Germany, the richer states give 4% to the GDP, to the central government.

"In Catalonia, it is 8% and everyone in Catalonia is becoming more conscious of the problem."

Macia remains hopeful he will see a day when Catalonia has true independence from Spain.

"It will be very slow," he said. "It will take some time and some verbal violence. I'm not happy to live in this moment, because from Spain come some insults from Catalonia.

"I think both parties will reach an agreement. I'm not sure if it will be to celebrate a democratic referendum. It will probably take at least another year."